Book picks: 'Literary Dogs & Their South Carolina Writers'

Why do writers love dogs? Not always for the same reasons all the rest of us do. In this book, 25 of the Palmetto State's most beloved authors introduce you to their most beloved dogs.

Courtesy of library staff

“Literary Dogs & Their South Carolina Writers” edited by John Lane and Betsy Wakefield Teter. Why do writers love dogs? Not always for the same reasons all the rest of us do. Dorothea Benton Frank's dog, Henry, teaches her about self-righteous indignation every time she leaves on a book tour. Ron Rash learns to appreciate his misanthropic mutt, Pepper, after he bites his daughter's suitor. In this book, 25 of the Palmetto State's most beloved authors introduce you to their most beloved dogs.

“Napoleon: Life, Legacy and Image: A Biography” by Alan Forrest. On a cold December day in 1840, Parisians turned out in force to watch as Napoleon's coffin was solemnly borne down the Champs-Elysses on its final journey to Les Invalides. The return of the emperor's body from the island of Saint Helena, nearly 20 years after his death, was a moment they had eagerly awaited, though there were many who feared that the memories stirred would only further destabilize a country that had struggled for order and direction since “the little corporal” was exiled after Waterloo.

“The Kashmir Shaw: A Novel” by Rosie Thomas. It is the eve of 1941, and World War II is engulfing the globe. Newlywed Nerys Watkins leaves rural Britain to accompany her husband on a missionary posting to India, but when he leaves her in the exotic lakeside city of Srinagar to take on a complicated mission elsewhere, she discovers a new world. Here, in the heart of Kashmir, the British dance, flirt and gossip against the backdrop of war, and Nerys soon becomes caught up in a dangerous liaison.

“What's Behind the Numbers” by John Del Vecchio and Tom Jacobs. Companies are under more pressure than ever to “beat by a penny,” but you don't need to be a forensic accountant to uncover where the spin ends and the truth begins. With the help of a powerhouse team of authors, you can avoid losing a chunk of your portfolio when the next overhyped growth stock fails by knowing what's behind the numbers.

“Driver's Education” by Grant Ginder. When he was a younger man, Alistair McPhee was fond of escaping in his '56 Chevy Bel Air, Lucy, named for the cherished wife who died and left him and their 9-year-old son, Colin, behind. Yearning for a way to connect to his itinerant father, Colin turned to writing screenplays inspired by the classic films they used to watch together, while Colin's own son, Finn, grew up listening to his grandfather spin tales of danger, heartbreak and redemption on the road. Now, at the end of his life and wishing to feel the wind in his hair one last time, Alistair charges his grandson with a task: Bring Lucy to him in San Francisco from New York, where a man named Yip has been keeping her safe.

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